New senior housing development coming to Beaverdale

Calvin Community neighborhood, is expanding in Des Moines' Beaverdale. The a senior housing community is adding a 36-unit apartment complex, six townhouses and a medical clinic.(Photo: Calvin Community/Special to The Register)

A long-rumored housing development is finally taking shape in Des Moines’ Beaverdale neighborhood.

Calvin Community, a senior housing and assisted living complex near Hickman Road and Beaver Avenue, is expanding, building a 36-unit apartment complex with a Mercy family medicine clinic on the ground floor and a six-unit townhouse development.

The townhouses are expected to open in the fall, while the apartment complex and medical clinic is scheduled to be complete in spring 2018.

Calvin Community has been discussing the project with neighbors and moving dirt around the site in preparation for construction for more than a year, but it had remained mum about the project until now.

The Christian nonprofit has operated at the location for 53 years, providing independent senior housing, assisted living, skilled nursing and memory care. The new units will offer independent living.

President and CEO Mark Teigland said Calvin Community anticipates increased demand for such housing in the Beaverdale area as the baby boomer generation ages.

Calvin Community neighborhood, is expanding in Des Moines' Beaverdale. The a senior housing community is adding a 36-unit apartment complex, six townhouses and a medical clinic.(Photo: Calvin Community/Special to The Register)

Several senior housing developers have invested in the northwest-side neighborhood in recent years. They’re betting that a large number of homeowners in Beaverdale will need to move out of their multistory houses as they age and will want to remain in the neighborhood.

“There will be an increasing demand for senior housing and we’re building in anticipation of that,” Teigland said.

As part of the project, Mercy plans to move its Beaverdale clinic from 42nd Street and Franklin Avenue to Calvin’s new building.

Some of the two-story townhouses will feature in-unit elevators to take residents from their garages to their living areas. Tiegland said it is the first rental development he knows of in central Iowa to offer in-unit elevators.

“It’s an added feature that will enable some people, in particular, to remain independent,” he said.

Calvin Community, a Des Moines retirement community, plans to expand its Beaverdale campus by adding several townhouses and a 36-unit apartment complex for seniors.(Photo: Special to The Register)